I need advice!!

Anita

New member
Jul 10, 2002
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Hi!!

I have posted some messages in the past. I am moving to the Dominican Republic in the middle of October and will be spending there 6 months (in Santo Domingo). I was really enthusiastic about the whole experience of being able to live there and work there, I have been there on holidays and had a great time. But talking to my family and friends around here, I am getting a bit worried. They say being a single girl, and European, I could have many problems... I have heard many stories from tourists that have been there, some of them great but others quite scary... Could someone give me some advice, whether working there is really that bad? Are you constantly surrounded of men trying to get married just to get hold of your passport, or not really?

Thanks, Aina
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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Dear Anita: Yes and no...

If you have a job waiting for you and you know a little Spanish, you should have no problems.]

Yes, being quite white skinned, European, wealthy and female, you will be the target for some guys that want to get out of the Dominican Republic. You could be green skinned, ugly, not wealthy, and European, and men would still follow you around to see if they "get lucky". This is just a fact of female life in the DR.

Santo Domingo is a very large , cosmopolitan city with all kinds of people. Depending on where you will be working, you will meet some of them, and depending on where you are playing, you will meet others.

Being a tourist is not the best way to get to know the real people, those that make the country run and those that employ others, and those that work in the professions. To meet these people you have to penetrate the society, and that is only done with class.

So, come on down, work here a while, be cautious with any person that is not of your "category", of your income, of your savoir faire, at least until proved otherwise. Is this cynical? Yes, it is, but it is also the voice of many decades of experience....

HB, with his 2?
 

Jenn

New member
Sep 20, 2002
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Anita,

I am a young American woman working in Santo Domingo for almost a year now. Living here is a complete different experience, than just coming here for a vacation. Moving here has been the best decision I have ever made for myself; however, the first few months were very rough.

Your question about being harrased on the street is quite comical. It is a ligitimate question; although once you live here you'll soon discover that it is a way of life.

There isn't a day that passes that I walk to work, where I don't hear about 20 Dominican men call out, "rubia" to me. I tried to block it out by listening to music and wearing headphones to work. But one day, I had my headphones on and didn't hear a man come up to mug me. That was definitely not a high point of my life here. Needless to say, I don't wear headphones on the street now. Live and learn...

It all depends on what you are looking for by coming out here. Living here is not going to be at all like coming here for a vacation. You just have to decide what you are wanting out of living here and what you will put up with.

I have met some amazing people in this country and the beaches and nightlife are fabulous. There are so many wonderful things about this country that far outweigh the bad.


Best of luck to you!
 

Bugsey34

Bronze
Feb 15, 2002
567
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From my experiences, it's true that you will get lots of stares and probably lots of hissing. But it is pretty unlikely that anyone is going to actually bother you in any menacing way.

Even though men are so aggressive in the DR and they will certainly tell you if they think you look good, I still usually feel safer there than I have in other big cities in the US and Europe because I just feel for some reason that a guy is less likely to actually come up and grab you. They seem less malicious to me, like their bark is much worse than their bite... so to speak. It's all talk, in most cases.

My rule of thumb is that if you are walking on the street and you hear hissing, pretend you don't hear it. If you hear someone say Americana, Rubia, or 'Hey Lady', pretend you don't hear it. That's not to say you should walk around with your head down like an obvious potential victim, but don't look either. Unless someone is really bothering you, then look them squarely in the eye and say "Vete". For more colorful words to use after Vete, email me!
 

sjh

aka - shadley
Jan 1, 2002
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After a consultation with my dominican wife, and a true lady, the correct reaction is to pretend that you can't hear or see them.

I am sure some of the other dominican ladies can confirm that...
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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Joke for readers of Spanish:
My wife, very well endowed, was walking on Calle del Sol in Santiago a few years ago, and a guy came up to her and said: "Hola, tocaya!"
She looked at him and said: "Y tu te llamas Asunci?n?"
He laughed and said: "No, Zen?n!"

True Dominican folklore!!

HB:)